Kaiji
As the unofficial otaku of Kotaku, it would be sacrilegious of me to not recommend people check out the 2007 anime Kaiji. Similar to Squid Game’s focus on Seong Gi-hun, Kaiji follows Kaiji Ito, a “total loser” who spends his days gambling until he gets tricked by a former co-worker and has to pay off their debts. (Hate it when that happens.) One day, a loan shark named Edo offers Kaiji a way to “wipe the debt away in one night.”
What’s the way, you ask? It involves a series of illegal gambling games in which Kaiji competes against other people who are down on their luck. In many ways, Kaiji was Squid Game before Squid Game. Don’t just take my word for it. The anime pope himself, Mother’s Basement, has already made a video on YouTube about why fans of Squid Game should check out Kaiji. With any luck, Squid Game’s success will finally result in Kaiji getting a third season. Fingers crossed!
Kaiji is available to watch on Crunchyroll
